Case Study
Skyrocket Perioperative Compliance
Without the Complexity of Manual Systems!
UTMB Health League City Campus
League City, Texas
UTMB is a distinguished 119-bed medical facility offering comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, including medical and surgical specialties, expanded-hours urgent care, and a 24-hour emergency department.
Overview
Compliance Rate Achieved
87%
Results Achieved in Less Than:
60 Days
Monthly Vendor Visits:
164
Challenges
Core Problem:
Vendors at UTMB Health’s League City Campus frequently failed to return hospital-issued reusable scrubs, resulting in rising replacement costs. Many vendors also moved between facilities without changing out of their scrubs, violating compliance protocols and increasing the risk of contamination.
Initial Struggle:
Staff faced significant challenges managing vendor compliance, as manual processes required them to track down non-compliant vendors and enforce scrub policies. This labor-intensive approach consumed valuable time and created operational inefficiencies.
The lack of automated oversight meant vendors often bypassed proper credentialing and attire protocols, leaving compliance gaps unchecked. With no system to ensure adherence in real-time, these issues compounded, adding to the administrative burden and disrupting staff workflows.
The Solution
Partnership with RepScrubs and Vendormate for Compliance Management:
UTMB Health collaborated with RepScrubs to resolve their vendor compliance challenges. RepScrubs introduced a scrub management program requiring vendors to check in and obtain facility-issued scrubs upon arrival. This streamlined approach ensured adherence to attire policies while significantly reducing the costs of lost reusable scrubs.
Automated Credentialing and Compliance Oversight:
The implementation was supported by Vendormate, a credentialing system that verified vendors’ compliance with hospital protocols before granting access. This integration provided an additional layer of oversight, ensuring that only properly credentialed and compliant vendors could enter the operating rooms.
Immediate Action and Early Results: Within three weeks of deciding to implement RepScrubs, UTMB Health rolled out the program with the support of a highly coordinated team. RepScrubs provided on-site assistance to ensure seamless adoption and enforce compliance policies from day one. Vendors quickly adapted to the new process, eliminating the need for hospital staff to intervene or manually manage scrub compliance.
Enhanced Compliance Monitoring and Reporting:
UTMB was given valuable insights into vendor adherence with tools that allowed the team to track progress, address potential concerns proactively, and engage with physicians about the program’s benefits, all while minimizing administrative workload.
“Honestly, I will say it was a very smooth and easy launch.”
Penny Emelife
ORSPD Nurse Manager
The University of Texas Medical Branch
The Impact
- Compliance Rate: Improved steadily over two months, achieving a peak compliance rate of 86.96% by mid-November, up from an initial 47.22% in September.
- Operational Efficiency: Vendors adapted quickly to the compliance program, with significant improvements seen as early as the second week, where compliance jumped to 76.74%.
- Streamlined Oversight: The facility efficiently managed 164 vendor visits per month with reduced manual intervention due to the integration of Vendormate and RepScrubs compliance tools.
- Time Savings: Staff experienced significant reductions in time spent manually tracking vendor compliance, allowing more focus on patient care and critical operational responsibilities.
- Cost Containment: Reduced scrub loss due to proper vendor check-ins and adherence to attire policies, aligning with Penny’s observations on decreased operational costs.